MAURITIUS, 1848, 2p Blue, "PENOE", Intermediate Impression (6ad; SG 14a). Position 7, unused (no gum), ample margins to in, rich color and detailed impression which clearly shows the shading lines on the front of the bust and on forehead, some slight creasing, flaw at lower right corner where small repair

FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE MAURITIUS 2-PENCE "POST PAID" FROM AN EARLY INTERMEDIATE IMPRESSION AND CLEARLY SHOWING THE "PENOE" SPELLING ERROR. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF MAURITIUS.

Mauritius was the first British colony to issue adhesive postage stamps, with the famous "Post Office" issue. The second "Post Paid" issue is almost as famous. The one and two-pence stamps were printed from sheets of twelve (three across by four down), and were engraved on the back of a copper plate previously used to print advertisements for a hotel in Port Louis. Each position was individually engraved, so each is unique. Position 7 (third row, first position) is the only position with the distinct "PENOE" spelling error.

Due to the softness of the copper plate the impressions quickly wore away. There are five widely recognized states of the plate: Earliest, Early, Intermediate, Worn and Latest. The Earliest and Early are the scarcest since the plate wore fairly quickly. The supplement to the 1993 Feldman catalogue of the Kanai Collection details each position on the plate and the characteristics necessary to identify the state of the impression. For Position 7, the lines at the base of the bust are clear in the Early state but have disappeared in the Intermediate state. A secondary characteristic is that the shading lines on the forehead extend at least halfway to the front edge. The stamp offered here shows both of these characteristics, but since the lines are faint we have correctly classified it as the Intermediate impression. There is a significant difference in catalogue value ($45,000 vs. $24,000) for Early vs. Intermediate impressions.

With 1953 Friedl certificate. SG £22,000.

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